


Azaldu

by ChokolatteJedi



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Animagus, Book 3: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Fix-It of Sorts, House Elves, M/M, POV Alternating, Professors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:34:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27430567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChokolatteJedi/pseuds/ChokolatteJedi
Summary: Just before starting as a Professor at Hogwarts, Remus gets an unusual letter by owl.
Relationships: Sirius Black/Remus Lupin
Comments: 9
Kudos: 94
Collections: Fic In A Box





	Azaldu

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chocolatepot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocolatepot/gifts).



> Thanks for all your help, Prinzenhasserin, Cass, and Mistrali!

Working Title: The Continued Saga of Wolfboy and Dogboy

After seeing Harry get safely onto the Knight Bus, Sirius slipped back through the alley and then took off. He knew the Obliviators would come deflate the woman soon; he’d been watching through the window and honestly, Sirius was about thirty more seconds from jumping through it and attacking that cow himself before Harry finally blew his top. He’d certainly inherited Lily’s temper!

Sirius knew that his best chance of getting away cleanly was going to London. He needed to talk to the goblins; they wouldn’t dob him in unless he offended them somehow. Most people thought that they only handled money, but for the right price the goblins would do just about anything you needed. And it should be safe enough to enter Diagon Alley: only two living wizards knew what Padfoot looked like, and one was currently in Egypt.

He’d been tempted to follow Harry onto the Knight Bus, but that was a temptation too far. No, he’d use the Underground, the same way he’d got here. Thank Merlin Lily had shown him the location before she went into hiding! She’d made him promise to keep an eye on Petunia, since Lily would have been unable to leave the protection of the Fidelius to check on her sister herself.

When Sirius hadn’t been able to find Harry in Godric’s Hollow, he’d come here, desperately hoping to find only a boring muggle family. Seeing his godson was both a relief and a heartbreak; it was clear that Petunia and her family were still as anti-magic as Lily had explained. Harry never should have been sent to them, and now it was Sirius’s job to fix that mistake.

But first, he had to get to London.

Uo.oU

Remus had no idea why Gringotts would be sending him a letter, but he accepted it from the owl politely. Opening it did not immediately illuminate him; the only thing it contained was a page from the Daily Prophet, from much earlier in the summer. A large black circle had been drawn around the lead story, so he focused his attention there.

The article was about the Weasley family winning quite a sum of galleons and using it to travel to Egypt. Remus easily recognized Molly; she had a lot of her brothers in her. Arthur, of course, he was also generally familiar with. There was no connecting the two toddlers he’d met once to any of the boys in the photograph, but that wasn’t surprising. In his tenuous connections to wizarding Britain, he’d heard that they had somewhere between half and the full dozen children.

Perhaps this article had been sent because the goblins knew that he was going to be teaching at Hogwarts in a month, and he needed to know something about the Weasley children who were attending? Remus wasn’t sure why the goblins would use such a roundabout way to tell him something like that, but the only other connections were Egypt and the Prophet’s Grand Prize Draw, which made even less sense to him.

Remus bent to the task of rereading the article specifically for the students. They were in Gryffindor, just like- just like Harry. Dumbledore had already made it clear when he hired Remus that he was not to approach Harry. He had to maintain a certain level of professionalism with all of his students, regardless of how well he’d known their parents. Remus didn’t like it, but for a chance to at least _see_ Harry again, he would follow Dumbledore’s orders.

Harry being a Gryffindor was one of the few things Dumbledore had let slip, and from this article it appeared that the Weasley brood were as well. The youngest ones should be in or around his year, even. It was as Remus was studying the children, trying to figure out which child was Harry’s age, that his brain finally caught up with what he was seeing. There, on the youngest boy’s shoulder, was a rat.

A rat that Remus knew better than his own reflection. A rat that appeared to be missing one toe.

A dozen emotions swarmed through Remus, each demanding to be heard, but he clamped down on them with iron control developed after years of handling his inner wolf, and slumped back into his chair. Once the storm settled slightly, Remus tried to regroup.

He had to look at things logically. He would stake his life that that rat was Peter. The question was, why would Peter be in that picture? A dozen questions flowed from that one. Why stay in hiding for so long? Why as a rat? Why let everyone believe he was dead? Surely his living testimony at Sirius’s trial would have been helpful…

The other shoe finally dropped for Remus.

_If Peter was alive, then Sirius hadn’t killed him. And if Sirius hadn’t killed Peter, then maybe he also hadn’t betrayed James and Lily._

Sirius had said once that they had a brilliant prank planned for anyone who tried to find the Potters. Remus had brushed it off after his incarceration, obviously thinking that the so-called prank was Sirius betraying his friends…

But Sirius was Harry’s godfather! Oath-sworn, with magic binding him! Remus _knew_ that! Just as he’d once thought he knew Sirius. A sworn godfather shouldn’t have been able to betray the hiding spot of their godchild or his parents. Remus had raised that point to Dumbledore in 1981, but Dumbledore had used Peter’s death to convince Remus that he was wrong and that Sirius must have known secret Black family magic that could circumvent the magical bonds between godparent and child.

But if Peter wasn’t dead, then Sirius wasn’t “clearly a stone cold killer, like all Blacks” or “devious enough to fake his oaths” as everyone had said. If Peter wasn’t dead, then Sirius might not be guilty! A tiny part of Remus’ heart that he had long since locked away began to tentatively stir.

Remus ruthlessly squashed it again. If Sirius wasn’t guilty, then he hadn’t deserved to be in Azkaban in the first place. His escaping wasn’t a crime! But why would he do it? Other than the obvious, of course, which was simply to get out of that hellhole. But why now?

The Prophet article caught Remus’s eye again, and he grabbed at it. Was it possible, somehow, that Sirius had seen this article, despite being in Azkaban? That somehow, impossibly, in the middle of that fortress, he had seen this article and recognized Peter? Had realized that he would be at Hogwarts with little Harry, and escaped to protect him? It seemed improbable, but not outside the realm of reason.

Or, perhaps, did Sirius have help? As far as Remus knew, no one else had seen their forms, but it was possible that someone did. Had that someone seen the article, and set about helping Sirius escape? Or at the least forwarded the article to Sirius, prompting him to escape on his own? It would certainly explain them sending it to Remus as well.

Remus needed to think on this. He needed to figure out exactly what all of this meant; Peter being alive, Sirius escaping, someone sending him this article… all of it. He would need to do some research: why had the Goblins sent this? Why hadn’t it come out at Sirius’ trial that Peter was still alive? Who could have known about their forms?

And a dozen more questions, he was sure, but those would do for starters. He needed a notebook; he needed to write all of this down and find some semblance of order to it. He needed a timeline, and a to do list, and a section for questions, and…

Remus fell back in the chair with a soft cry. Sirius, innocent? He didn’t dare let himself hope. Even if it was true, Remus had betrayed him too, in a way. A decade ago Remus had let himself be convinced that Sirius was guilty. But if he wasn’t… this Sirius wouldn’t still be the boy he’d loved; Azkaban would have seen to that. But would he forgive Remus for thinking the worst of him? Could they still…

No, he couldn’t dare to hope that. Remus needed a notebook, and a quill. He couldn’t let emotions sway him; needed to approach this logically.

Uo.oU

“And these will be your rooms,” the Headmaster said cheerfully. “Usually, the Defense Professor has a suite up on the fourth floor, in the Professors’ wing. However, given your companion, I thought moving it here to the second floor might be more appropriate.”

He gestured to the door on the right. “The red door leads to your personal staircase; a second door on the other side is for your office. Your classroom is upstairs, and downstairs is a small private courtyard. Poppy and Pomona created it, but they’ve assured me that they don’t mind if you and your dog use it.”

“I appreciate that very much,” Remus said politely. He’d been utterly unsure of this plan, but Sirius had convinced him it would work. So far, Dumbledore wasn’t acting as though he suspected anything, but that wasn’t saying much; the man had extremely strong Occlumency skills, and could easily mask his doubts behind a pleasant expression.

“On your left is the ensuite,” Dumbledore continued. “Feel free to decorate however you’d like. Your predecessor had all of the paintings removed in order to hang several of his own, I’m afraid, but if you’d like them back, or just want to know what other furniture is available, feel free to call for a house-elf. Dally is in charge of the Professors’ elves, and she’ll assign one specifically to you as well.”

“I’m not sure I’ll need one,” Remus confessed. “I’ve so rarely lived in places with an elf that I’ve always just gotten along without them.”

“Well, the choice is yours, but if you don’t have enough for it to do, it will certainly join the other elves in their general work about the castle,” Dumbledore waved a hand dismissively. “Now, I shall leave you to your unpacking; call for Dally when you’re ready.”

Remus thanked the Headmaster again as he left. As soon as the door was closed, however, he began madly casting spells. Detection charms were first, to identify what the previous occupants had left behind. There were two charms that appeared roughly a year old; one for humidity control and one that made the lights glow a little softer. Remus easily canceled them both. The older work, however, would take him a moment to unravel.

He began muttering as he worked, sharing his thoughts with Padfoot. “There’s a ward schema here, but I can’t seem to find the source. It must have anchor runes, but there’s no directional draw that would point me towards the wardstone. Is it possible the previous occupant found a way to center the source points perfectly?”

Padfoot gave a quiet woof of “how should I know?” They had developed this language years ago, in school. Woofs, squeaks, and hoof taps to convey the dozen most commonly needed phrases. Sirius had all but forgotten them, thanks to the ravages of the dementors, but Remus still had his old journals in storage. The last two weeks, while Remus worked on lesson plans and ways to mask Sirius’s presence, Sirius had split his time between documents the goblins needed him to review and their old school journals.

He’d also spent a lot of time eating and sleeping; the goblin healers had set him on a very strict regime of potions, diet, and exercise to recover from his years in prison. Every morning when they woke, Remus could swear he could see the improvements. That the potions worked so quickly, of course, meant that he needed to take in an absolute tonne of calories a day, to act as the raw materials to fuel the changes. His body also needed a great deal of sleep, as so much of his energy was expended on things like regrowing atrophied muscles and restoring the mental damage done by the Dementors.

Sirius had paid the goblins a literal fortune for this service, set on such an accelerated schedule that he would be completely restored before they returned to Hogwarts. Now, back at his proper weight, his coat thick and glossy, and even his teeth a sparkling white, Padfoot looked like a proper familiar again. When Remus had first seen him, Padfoot looked more like a grim than an Irish Wolfhound; his scraggly appearance would have been quite shocking without knowing what to expect.

Now, having given his option - or more accurately, his ambivalence - on the wards, Padfoot began sniffing around the apartment. Shaking his head, Remus resumed his analysis, still muttering aloud. “The ward schema itself is well constructed; each part is layered over the others before being tied together. I see anti-scry, anti-spying, muffling, and dampening. Is that... why would he add anti-Portkey and -Apparition? Those aren’t allowed within Hogwarts in the first place.”

Padfoot barked the short command for ‘professors.’

“Professors? Oh, I suppose Dumbledore could - he holds the school’s wards, so in theory he might be able to bypass the standard anti-Apparition. His Portkeys would certainly work on the grounds if he set them to. So these specific wards are likely there to circumvent the Headmaster’s own ward bypasses.”

Remus cast the second, more detailed, ward analysis spell he’d learned. “There’s privacy, protection, secrecy, another anti-scry, something that looks like it would confound post owls, mild forgetting? What could that- aimed outwards, centered on- oh, to make people forget things they might learn while within these rooms? This one… it constrains the paintings even? What in Merlin’s name was this professor doing?”

Padfoot whuffed, and Remus snorted. “I know, _we_ need the same things. But your situation is somewhat unique. I doubt the previous occupant had an illegal house guest he needed to keep hidden from Dumbledore and the DMLE.”

Padfoot growled ‘friend’, and Remus looked at him. He immediately closed one eye, then picked up his hind paw and limped forward a few paces. Remus burst out laughing; he had forgotten Padfoot’s impression of Alastor Moody after his and James’s first auror lesson with the man. “Moody?” he asked through his chuckles. Padfoot yipped ‘yes’ and sat down smuggly.

Still chuckling, Remus considered that. This suite did belong to the professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts, and that field tended to make people paranoid, as Moody proved. There was also the rumor, back from their own school days, that the position was cursed. After old Arthur MacManus had retired after their first year, his replacement had lasted three years, the next only two, and their NEWT professor had managed three. From what Remus had heard over the years, that trend continued, until now, when the Professors were lucky to make a year. Both of his immediate predecessors hadn’t made it to the end of term, he had been warned.

Perhaps it wasn’t so unusual, then, that one of them, being quite rightly a bit paranoid about the position, and possibly also generally paranoid about the dark arts, might have concocted so elaborate a ward scheme for his personal quarters. Certainly Moody, from what Remus had seen of him working for the Order, would have approved of these precautions, and probably used something similar.

It didn’t necessarily mean that he had been hiding something, though this combination was certainly good for that. Indeed, Remus was finding very few tweaks he would want to make in order to protect Padfoot’s secret within their rooms. That professor two years gone was his savior, in fact, as Remus knew he couldn’t cast these wards nearly as well, or create the schema that eliminated the obvious draw from a ward stone. Perhaps with a year’s notice, but not less than a month, while also preparing lesson plans! His predecessor was a genius!

Finishing his inspection, the only thing Remus had left to do was to call an elf. “Dally?”

An elf wearing the Hogwarts-crested tea towel popped into the room. “New Professor Lupin, sir, calls for Dally?” it said brightly.

“Ah yes, hello,” Remus began. He was always uncomfortable talking to elves; something about the wolf disagreed with them. He desperately hoped never to meet one while transformed, as he had no interest in discovering if that disquiet was actually a desire to snack on them. ‘What house-elf tasted like’ was one of many questions that Remus Lupin most decidedly did not need to know the answer to.

“I had a few questions about the set up of this room in the last few years. For one, Professor Dumbledore said the paintings had been changed?”

“Oh yes, sir,” Dally nodded. “Last year Professor Flopsy is putting up his own portraits, all over. He is not letting the elves touch them.”

“And the year before?”

“Professor Quirell is not liking the paintings with peoples in them. He is wanting trees and things that were quiet.”

“Ah, could I have those paintings back, please? I also enjoy landscapes,” Remus declared. The last thing he needed was portraits spying. “Now, what about the furniture?”

“Professor Flopsy is bringing his own furniture, sir. Elves is putting all furniture back here same as Professor Quirell.” Dally quickly informed him.

“Right, well, other than needing a few more rugs, I’m happy with the furniture as is. But I remember that the castle gets fairly cold in the winter, and rugs are easier on Padfoot’s paws.” Remus said.

The house-elf glanced at Padfoot, then nodded vigorously. “Is Professor Lupin, sir, wanting rugs in his office or classroom too?”

Remus thought about that for a moment. “Not the classroom, but the office would be nice. Could you find a runner for the stairs as well? Something that won’t be ruined if he tracks in snow or mud from the courtyard on his paws?”

“Yes sir, Professor Lupin!” Dally agreed.

“Good. Finally, I have a question about the elves. Headmaster Dumbledore said that you serve the Professors? Does each Professor have their own elf, or…”

“Some do!” Dally replied. “Most Professors is picking one elf to serve them, sir. Professor Hagrid and Filchey is not, but others is!”

“But the elves are still bound to the Headmaster, I assume,” Remus said. This was the sticking point, the one that Sirius had pointed out to him. Having never lived in a pureblood house, Remus was unaware of just how much house-elves knew, or that they would report on guests to their masters.

“All elves is being bound to Hogwarts, not to Headmaster Dumblydore, sir,” Dally corrected him.

“You’re bound to the castle instead of the Headmaster?” Remus couldn’t believe it. This was their best case scenario: something Sirius had said was possible, but unlikely.

Dally nodded. “Yes, sir, Professor Lupin. Otherwise, if Headmaster is leaving, elves is going too. Or if headmaster is dying like Professor Dippy, elves is being freed. Elves bound to castle is being much better.”

That did indeed sound much better. “Does that mean that, if, for example, the Headmaster asked you what you saw in my rooms, or to report on my private conversations, you couldn’t or wouldn’t do it?”

Dally shook its head. “No sir, Professor Lupin, sir! Not if you is saying not to. Elves is serving Professors and Headmaster the same.”

Remus glanced at Padfoot, as the acknowledged expert in this matter. The dog was perched on the couch, eyeing the elf. At Remus’s look, he nodded his head, then broke into a doggy grin that had always meant pranking afoot. Remus quickly turned back to the elf.

“Right, well I shall be in need of a personal elf, then, Dally, for myself and Padfoot here. I generally like my privacy, so I would like it very much if you picked an elf known for being discrete. Ideally, no other elves would enter my rooms except that one. I would also like any elf or elves who come into my rooms to keep what they see and hear in them private and secret. Is that understood?”

Dally nodded brightly. “Understood, Professor Lupin! Dally is fetching Figgy for you. Figgy very quiet, very secret, very good. Very good.” With a snap, it was joined by a second elf, this one significantly older. If they had been human, Remus thought Dally would probably be roughly his own age, while Figgy was more like McGonagall or Flitwick. Not yet approaching Dumbledore’s age, but clearly not an excitable youngster.

Dally looked Figgy in the eye for a moment, clearly conveying instructions in some kind of elvish manner, before both turned to look back at Remus. “Figgy be happy to serve Professor Lupin, sir, and his Master Paddy,” Figgy said politely. “Figgy be keeping your secrets, and only Figgy be coming to your rooms.”

“Wonderful,” Remus said, nodding at the elf. “I appreciate that, Figgy. And thank you very much, Dally, for your help.”

Dally nodded back. “Dally be going now, sir,” it said before popping away.

Remus glanced back at Padfoot, who was leaning forward eagerly. “Alright, alright,” he muttered. Turning back to Figgy, Remus said, “I trust you to keep this secret, Figgy; Padfoot here is not only a dog. He can change into a human too.”

“Figgy remembers, sir.”

Remus gaped. Behind him he heard a thump that was clearly Padfoot falling off the couch. “You… _remember_?”

“Figgy is being Gryffinsey elf when younger,” Figgy said. “Figgy remembers wolfboy, dogboy, ratboy, deerboy.”

There was a snort behind him at “deerboy”, and Remus spared a sorrowful thought that they’d never be able to tease James about that name. At least, not for many years yet, he hoped.

“You knew what we were doing back then?” Remus asked.

Figgy nodded. “Professor McGonagall-Kitty is asking elves to be watching if students be turning into animals, sir. If animal-students is being in trouble, Figgy get Professor McGonagall-Kitty to help.”

“McGonagall knew?” came the strangled whisper behind him.

“Have you seen ratboy up in Gryffindor Tower?” Remus asked carefully.

Figgy nodded quickly. “Yes sir, Figgy sees him. Master Wheezy is taking him to classes, sir.”

“Moony! We could do it now! He could bring him-”

“Not until we have a plan,” Remus cut him off, spinning to look at the other man. “It has to be public, remember? You can’t kill him if you ever want to see Harry.”

Sirius sighed, but relented. Sinking back against the couch leg, he nodded. “I remember. It’s hard, though,” he whined.

“I know,” Remus said. Sirius had always had trouble with rashness, his temper getting the better him. It was a family trait, from what Remus could tell. “Now, don’t you have something to do?”

Sirius’s stare was blank for a second - clearly the rat was still on his mind - but then he shook himself and focused. “Yes, yes. Figgy,” he said imperiously.

Remus spun his attention back to the house-elf, who had straightened. “Sir?”

“Until such time as Remus Lupin’s employment by the school is terminated, this suite of rooms, the attached office, classroom, and the stairwell between them, constitute the Lupin-Black household. It is to be referred to only as the Lupin suite amongst members not of the household. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir, Master Paddy-Black,” Figgy said clearly.

“Members of the Lupin-Black household currently include Remus John Lupin, also known as Moony, and Sirius Orion Black, also known as Padfoot. In the future, Harry James Potter might be recognized as a member of the household, but at the moment he is not. However, he is under the protection of this household. Is that clear?”

“Yes sir, Master Paddy-Black,” Figgy repeated, nodding firmly.

“As long as the Lupin-Black household is contained within Hogwarts, you, Figgy, shall be the household elf, and maintain the privacy and secrecy of the household as though you were bonded to it. The exception to this rule is if a member of the household poses a threat against Hogwarts castle herself, her students, or professors. Is that clear? Can you follow those terms?”

“Figgy cans, Master Paddy-Black,” Figgy agreed. A moment later a muted blue flash enveloped all three. Remus was startled, despite Sirius warning him in advance. It had never occurred to him to declare themselves a pureblood household _within_ the castle, or to actually create a temporary bond with one of the castle elves. Sirius had assured him, however, that this was how it was done, and that if the rooms could be warded and the elves trusted not to report them to Dumbledore, they should do it.

“Moony,” he prompted, snapping Remus back to it. As the one actually employed by Hogwarts, he was the de facto head of this household, and had to make the first vow. Drawing his wand, he swore, “I, Remus John Lupin, do hereby swear that I, when in my right mind, intend no harm towards Hogwarts castle, its students, or its professors. I also swear that I will do my best to prevent Moony, the wolf within me, from harming Hogwarts castle, its students, or its professors. So I say, so I swear.”

A muted flash of white light enveloped him, and Remus prayed that Sirius had been correct about the wording for including Moony in the oath. While wolfsbane _should_ be enough to protect the castle’s inhabitants, it wasn’t a guarantee. It was also possible that magic might interpret moony’s presence within him as a threat to the students, which is why he had to be so careful in wording oaths of this sort.

Sirius quickly drew his borrowed wand and vowed, “I, Sirius Orion Black the Third, do hereby swear that I, when in my right mind, intend no harm towards Hogwarts castle, its students, or its professors. So I say, so I swear.” He flashed as well, signifying that the oath had taken hold.

Figgy raised his left hand. “Figgy be swearing to keep secrets of Lupin-Black house as though they be Figgy’s masters.” he snapped his fingers, and a pale blue light enveloped him.

“Well that’s done!” Sirius said cheerfully. “And we’re happy to have you, Figgy. Please see to unpacking our bags and obtaining the rugs and paintings that Remus asked Dally for. When the students aren’t here, do the professors dine in the Great Hall or in their own rooms?”

“Professors is eating in their own rooms, Master Paddy-Black,” Figgy said cheerfully.

“Excellent,” Sirius grinned. “Then it won’t seem odd if we do the same. Dinner in here tonight, Figgy.”

Figgy nodded and then popped away. A moment later their suitcases disappeared. Shortly after that, rugs and paintings began to appear in their proper spaces. Remus watched it all with a slight sense of awe.

They had done it! It was one thing to make plans, to wonder about the logistics of moving to the castle, and to work through numerous contingencies, but it was another thing to sit here having accomplished it! The feeling, combined with the familiar surroundings, brought back happier memories of their own Hogwarts days. While the other three worked on becoming animagi, Remus had been responsible for the research behind things like the Marauders’ Map and their communication mirrors. He now felt the same kind of excited relief he had when each of those, or a prank scenario, was successfully completed.

Suddenly, Sirius plonked down in his lap. “You were thinking too hard,” he announced.

Remus sighed and wrapped his arms around Sirus’s waist. Sirius, as a child, had been somewhat touch averse in first year, but by third year he was a champion snuggler. Remus had been hesitant, after so many years apart and the ravages of Azkaban, but the snuggler was still there. Remus had initially held back, until the nightmares the first night, when gathering Sirius in his arms had been the natural thing to do.

Later, Sirius admitted that there was absolutely no human contact in Azkaban, unless one counted the occasional scream. Being so touch-starved, feeling contact from Remus helped to ground him in the moment now, to separate him from the horrors of his imprisonment. Once Remus got over his own shame at leaving Sirius there to rot, touch had become a prominent part of their new relationship, both with Sirius and with Padfoot.

“You’re still off with the pixies,” Sirius said with a gentle nudge.

Remus blushed and gave Sirius a small peck on the cheek. “Impressed by how much you know about house-elf magic,” he said.

Sirius shrugged. “Most purebloods are taught that kind of thing. There are some that don’t bother, for one reason or another, but probably 95 percent of our pureblood peers knew. The real surprise is that I _remembered_ it all.”

Remus wasn’t sure if that was a commentary on how the younger Sirius seemed determined to reject everything his parents had taught him, or a curse of his time with the dementors. The potions the goblins gave him helped, but it wasn’t enough to restore all that was lost. Either way, he knew that squeezing Sirius tighter was the answer.

Uo.oU

Remus took it upon himself, after hearing the gossip from Figgy, to keep the Weasley boy after class the first week. As his students were gathering their things, he called out, “Ron, please remain behind. You’re not in trouble, and Harry is welcome to remain as well.”

Harry looked around, probably searching for Miss Granger, but she’d already dashed out the door. Once the other students were gone, Remus perched on the edge of his desk. “Now, Ron, I’ve heard that your rat is a bit under the weather?”

Ron gaped at him. “How’d you know that, sir?”

“Oh, the Professors talk.” Remus waved his concern away. “I also understand that there is concern with a certain cat. Completely understandable. That’s actually why the rules were changed, several years back, to only allow cats, owls, and toads. One too many mice or rats being seen as prey by a cat or Kneezle and there you have it! I’m surprised that Professor McGonagall allowed you to have it, given her own preference for cats.”

In the background, Harry snorted.

“He was my brother Percy’s, first,” Ron mumbled. “I dunno know why she let him keep Scabbers.”

“Well, that’s neither here nor there,” Remus said. “I called you here to offer you something,” he tapped the empty tank beside him. “I’m afraid they’ve sent me the wrong sized hinkypunk tank. It’s too small for a hinkypunk, but I was thinking that it is the perfect size for a rat. Get some bedding from Mister Hagrid, and you’ll have a nice safe place for your- Sabbers, you said?”

“Really?” Ron was excited, but suspicious, as though looking for the catch.

“Oh yes. Normally, to contain a rat - a boy in my year had one, you see - you’d use a metal cage, but that still has openings, and a Kneezel can easily work their paw into it. It is protective, but the rat would still be unbelievably stressed. With the tank, it offers a measure of security not just to you, but to the rat as well. The top, as you can see, has mesh for breathing, but all you need to do is have one of the older students seal it with a _Corpollus_ so Kneezles can’t open it. Perhaps your brother Percy, as you said the rat was his first? If he does as well in charms as he does in my class he’s certainly able to cast a _Corpollus_.”

“Yeah, he could,” Ron mumbled. “Thank you, Sir. I’m not used to- I mean. Uh… you just… thank you.”

“We aren’t used to teachers helping us out,” Harry piped up. “I think he’s trying to say, between this and the train, you’re one of the most useful adults we’ve ever met.”

Ron blushed. “Yeah, that,” he muttered.

Remus chuckled. “Well, at the risk of saying anything negative about my colleagues, I accept the compliment. Now, I shall let you go for the afternoon.” he waved at them to take the tank. “Oh, and Ron, in a few weeks we’ll be doing a class on pets and familiars. Do be sure to bring Scabbers, as I think he might enjoy the attention. It would also be good practice for the class to see a variety of animals, and he’s likely to be the only rat we have. And, if he’s still feeling unwell, I can also take a bit of a look at him after class. I dare say I remember enough from Peter’s rat to offer an opinion or two.”

“Thanks,” Ron said, grabbing the tank. “I’ll do that.”

Remus watched them until the door was closed, then activated the locking ward. He was pleased that this plan had worked, but Harry’s words were also concerning. They didn’t feel that they could count on the adults at Hogwarts? Remus would need to discuss this with Sirius.

Uo.oU

“Don’t forget, tomorrow we’ll be having a special lesson!” Remus called after his students. “Please bring your pets and familiars!” Sirius, watching through the spelled door, saw several of them nod or wave in acknowledgement. Weasley was among them.

As the last student closed the door, Remus activated the heavy-duty locking ward as usual, then grabbed his ledger from his desk. Opening the door to the stairwell, where Sirius was waiting, he jumped in surprise.

“One more day,” Sirius whined; he hated waiting.

“I know,” Remus consoled him. “But we had to get the timing right.”

Sirius knew he was right, blast him. The last three weeks had gone fairly well, all things considered. Their arrangement with Figgy was just as useful as he’d expected. He and Remus had both examined the wards on the room in more depth, and other than adding one aimed directly at Peter, they had no complaints. Remus agreed with his analysis that one of the former occupants had been a right paranoid bugger.

With Figgy’s confirmation that Peter was indeed here, and the unexpected bonus of having free reign within their apartment, Sirius and Remus had been quickly brainstorming ideas and nearly as quickly throwing them out. There was so much to prepare for beforehand, and with Remus needing to actually make lesson plans, they hadn’t been able to make any definitive choices.

Now, with more details, they’d been able to firm up a lot of things. The most crucial detail, however, was Dumbledore. With him in the castle, there was a chance of everything going pear-shaped. Remus wanted to have faith in their former Headmaster and Order leader, but Sirius was too jaded. Remus caved when Sirius pointed out that Dumbledore, as Chief Warlock, was responsible for bringing all suspected Death Eaters to trial, and had in fact neglected to do so for someone who was both an Auror and an Order member. It looked like Dumbledore had plans that didn’t necessarily align with capturing Peter and getting justice for Sirius.

Therefore, they decided to wait until Dumbledore was out of the castle. With him gone, it would be perfectly reasonable to call the DMLE to deal with Peter, instead of the Headmaster. The head of the DMLE, Sirius had been told by the Goblins, was Amelia Bones. She’d been Head Auror, back in his day, and he knew her to be a straight-caster who followed the law. She would give him a fair hearing if for no other reason than that the law demanded it. She was the kind who would listen to him if he pleaded his case, and insist on getting to the bottom of things instead of handing him over to the Dementors on sight.

With the Wizengamot meeting scheduled for the third Friday of the month, it was the perfect time to unmask Peter without Dumbledore hanging about. Sirius also wasn’t pleased with Dumbledore’s edict that Remus more or less ignore Harry outside of class. Sirius had abided by Remus’s rule that they not reveal themselves until Peter was caught, but the moment that happened he was going to tell Harry everything.

He’d been a bit concerned at how Harry would react to him, having seen his fear that night at Petunia’s (and that bulldog his aunt had brought with her - he could smell its aggression towards Harry). Sirius had forgotten, until Remus pointed it out, that he looked nothing like the gaunt shell of a dog he had been. He now very much looked the part of a pampered pet, and they had even found one of his old collars in storage.

Remus used to tease him about wearing it when transformed, but Sirius thought it gave him a bit of an _edge_. And he could smell the way his then-boyfriend reacted to it the first time he wore it as a human. Leather pants, collar, no shirt; it was an outfit guaranteed to derail Remus’s mind almost instantly.

Sirius had avoided the classroom, for now, as he didn’t want Peter to have any idea he was there. That was why they had applied the see-through charm to the door, so that Sirius could still watch Harry in class. Remus had liberally applied scent-erasing charms to both his classroom and his person, in the hopes of keeping Pettigrew from scarpering. That tank idea had also been inspired, and Figgy reported that the rat was now safely sealed inside the tank.

For the most part, Sirius had distracted himself in the past three weeks with family matters. His Uncle Arcturus had passed away last summer, leaving him as the head of the Black family. The goblins had stacks of parchment necessary for him to claim the headship, ensure that Arcturus’s will was properly handled, and deal with the resulting fallout. (Apparently, Lucius Malfoy was infuriated that his son Draconis had not inherited the Black headship. Sirius took great delight in filling out the parchment to dissolve their marriage for breach of contract, since Narcissa hadn’t borne two heirs as required.)

There were also the properties and investments, which had stagnated over the last year and a half, through Arcturus’s decline and following his death. Sirius also fully intended to return his cousin Andromeda to the family, though that would take time to complete, as there were several persnickety legal hoops to jump through. By casting Narcissa and Bellatrix from the family first, he ensured that neither they nor their husbands would be able to object when he was required to post the notice of Andromeda’s reinstatement in the paper for 28 days.

His great aunt Cassiopeia should have taken the Black seat on the Wizengamot when Arcturus became unable to attend the meetings, but it appeared that Lucius had pulled some legal strings of his own to gain it for himself. Sirius would need to check on her, once he was no longer in danger of being kissed by the dementors, and see why she hadn’t prevented Malfoy’s actions.

Politicking and estate management were two of the pureblood lessons that Sirius had actually enjoyed as a child. He wasn’t interested in dark curses or rituals, or the right way to bow and scrape in each social situation. Genealogy lessons on the noble Houses went in one ear and out the other; too many names repeated for him to keep track of it all properly.

But politicking? Saying what you wanted in a way that sounded like the opposite, or engaging in word games to suggest something without saying it, or insulting someone without them being able to take offense because your words appeared to be a compliment? Sirius _loved_ those lessons.

Learning the laws of the land, and the loopholes that existed within them and why, was also an enjoyable exercise for Sirius. The marauders had escaped punishment more than once due to that skill. Estate management wasn’t quite as fun, but Sirius did enjoy putting his mind to the analysis of investments and predicting which would do well. He didn’t enjoy evicting people, which seemed to be the only point, as far as his father was concerned.

Regardless of his personal preferences, the goblins had handed him a stack of parchment that, even when shrunk, was taller than his head, and insisted that he complete it all as soon as possible. Since they had also kept his secret and charged him less than anticipated for seeing their healers, he felt he owed it to his account manager to complete it as quickly as he could.

And he knew Remus appreciated that it kept Sirius busy while he was marking; instead of constantly trying to seduce his boyfriend.

Uo.oU

“Alright, everyone listen up,” Remus said. He’d discretely cast a muffling charm on Peter’s tank as Ron entered, so the rat would not hear what was happening until it was too late. “As I told you yesterday, we jumped slightly out of order to deal with the Boggart, since we had one readily available to us. Now, we shall be getting back on track. For those of you also taking Care of Magical Creatures, you will find a fair bit of overlap this year, as in third year we are specifically dealing with defense against magical creatures.”

“The first thing you need to know is how to distinguish between muggle and magical creatures, in instances where they might be mistaken for one another. Can anyone give me an example of a magical creature that has a matching Muggle counterpart?”

As he expected, Hermione’s hand immediately shot up, but he was pleased to note she wasn’t the only one. “Lavender?”

“Rabbits! There are several magical breeds, and some are nearly indistinguishable from Muggle ones.”

“Very good! Five points,” Remus said. “Michael?”

“Owls,” he promptly replied.

“Indeed, five points. Harry?”

“Kneazles?” Harry’s tone was unsure, but he’d raised his hand, which pleased Remus to no end. Usually Harry had to be prompted, instead of volunteering.

“Well done, Harry! Five points! And that will be shown in our first demonstration. Hermione?”

“Crups are identical to Jack Russell terriers, except for their forked tails,” she promptly recited. “Ministry decree states that all Crup owners are required to remove the forked part with a painless severing charm once the crup puppy, or cruppy, has reached six months. From that point onwards they are physically indistinguishable from Jack Russells. There are also toads, which are identical to Muggle toads. Though there is some dispute as to whether the kind of toads that wizards keep as pets are magical in their own right, or if they are in fact identical to the Muggle version. Further-”

“That will do, thank you, Hermioe,” Remus held up a hand to stop her. “I wouldn’t want you to do everyone’s homework for them, would I?” He kept his tone gentle, aware by now that Severus made similar comments in a far more derogatory manner. “Ten points to Gryffindor for two excellent examples,” he added, prompting a smile from her.

“Now, to go back to Harry’s example. Three of our older students have kindly volunteered to help us. Miss Clearwater? Miss Johnson? Mister Abbott?” he waved forward the three students from the back wall, where they had been waiting. They stepped up to the desk, each of them holding a cat carrier.

“We will begin with Mister Abbott,” Remus declared. “Nathaniel got his Kneezle, Shadow, from a reputable wizarding breeder, who claimed it was one hundred percent pureblood. Now, if you will all repeat after me? _Kuushif!_ ”

“ _Kuushif!_ ” the class chanted back.

“Very good. This spell, said with a curve very like a sideways p, like so, will reveal whether an animal is magical or muggle. Now, we take Shadow…”

At his gesture, Nathaniel opened his cat carrier and urged Shadow onto the table. The Kneezle had a tuxedo pattern, solid black save for white on his chin, one front paw, and a dab on his ear. The Kneezle gave Remus a long look, then set about washing his paw, completely unconcerned with the situation.

“ _Kuushif!_ ” Remus said. Immediately, a blue nimbus surrounded the Kneezle. “Now, we see from the blue that this is indeed a Kneezle. However, the color is slightly off. Instead of a pure royal blue, can anyone see just the smallest tint of teal?”

Several students murmured agreement. Remus finite’d the charm. “Now, I’m no breeder, but with an aberration that slight, I’d wager that any cat blood in Shadow here is several generations back. Possibly a great-great grandparent was the mixed blood. Right, now, Penelope, if we could see Pumpkin?”

Nathaniel scooped up Shadow, who looked slightly disgruntled to be moved. Then he stepped aside as Penelope Clearwater took his palace. Soon a large orange and cream ball of fluff sat regally on top of Remus’s grading ledger. “Penelope obtained her cat, Pumpkin, from a Muggle shelter, and I have tested it and confirmed that there is no trace of Kneezle there, as you are about to see.”

“ _Kuushif!_ ” Pumpkin was immediately surrounded by a yellow nimbus. “There, you see that yellow glow?” Remus pointed out. “This is a purely Muggle cat. Thank you Penelope. Angelina?”

As the girls switched cats, Remus turned to his class. “Now, Miss Johnson also found her cat in a muggle shelter. How many of you think that her cat will be purely Muggle?” roughly half of the class raised their hands. “How many think it will be purely magical?” Only a quarter of the class raised their hands this time. “Let’s see who’s right.”

Remus turned back to the table, where the grey and white tabby Angelina had named ‘Moppet’ was waiting. Again, Remus cast the revealing spell, but this time the nimbus around the cat was a muddy lime green. “Excellent! Does anyone know what this color means?”

Hermione, of course, was the first to raise her hand, but Dean Thomas wasn’t far behind. “Dean?”

“Does that mean it is a mixed breed?” He asked. “Kneezle and cat?”

“It does indeed!”

“The color is closer to yellow, so the Kneezle would be the part bred in,” Dean continued. “It isn’t right down the middle green, like you’d expect from a half-n-half, but it isn’t- I’d put it at a little less than a quarter?”

“Well done,” Remus agreed. “Are you by chance an artist?”

Dean ducked his head, but Parvati and Harry both nodded vigorously. “He’s really good, Professor,” she added.

“I suspected as much; you have a good eye for color,” Remus said. “Now, if we assume that every prior animal was a pureblood, which is not guaranteed, I would guess that one of Moppet’s grandparents was the Kneezle. It is far more likely, however, that there are two or more mixed breeds in her lineage.”

“Thank you all,” he nodded to the older students. “Take ten points each.” Angelina Johnson gathered up her cat and then the trio left. “Now, I have one more cat for us to test, but this time, we’re using a slightly different spell. _Azaldu!_ ”

“ _Azaldu!_ ” the class dutifully repeated.

Remus turned back, only to find that he had been beaten to the punch. Minerva had already jumped off his chair, where she’d hidden, and was now sitting in the middle of his desk. “Excellent,” he said. “And so, with a flick and a twirl, _Azaldu!_ ”

Immediately a red nimbus surrounded her. “Can anyone take a guess at what the red color means?” Remus asked, doing his best to hide a smirk.

For once, Hermione’s hand didn’t immediately shoot into the air, but Remus was unsurprised. He wasn’t using the official animagus revealing spell from their texts, but one he had picked up in Spain several years ago. To his delight, however, Harry tentatively raised his hand. “You have a guess, Harry?” Remus asked.

“Uh, more of a question. Is that- er, isn’t that Professor McGonagall?”

Remus laughed. “Still showing off your transformation to the third years, eh?” he asked her. “I’m impressed you recognized what she looked like, Harry. Take five points!” Harry blushed wildly as Minerva leapt off the desk and transformed back to herself.

“Potter has a strong eye for detail,” McGonagall said stiffly. “At least when it comes to things like Quidditch.”

This time Remus didn’t hold back his chuckle; yet another similarity to James! “Well, since you spotted it, Harry, would you care to guess what the color red means?”

“An Animagus?”

“Indeed! Now, for this class, we’ll be testing for Animagi first, and then breeding. Ron, why don’t you start us off? Go ahead and bring Scabbers up here. Thank you, Professor,” Remus turned to Minerva as Ron obeyed. “Would you like to hang back and observe for a little while?” he asked.

“I might stay for one or two,” she agreed, “but then I’m afraid I do have some marking to attend to.” Remus nodded in commiseration and her smile widened. “Now you know why your professors were so busy all the time?”

“Oh I had an inkling back then,” Remus admitted, moving out of Ron’s way. “You should’ve seen Peter’s very first drafts.” McGonagall gave him a look of mock horror, tinged with sadness.

Glancing around, Remus saw that Peter was safely ensconced in the tank on his desk, appearing fairly comfortable; not panicking. Ron was standing beside the desk, wand out but at his side. “Ready then, Ron?” Remus asked him. “Remember, flick and twirl, then _Azaldu!_ ”

Ron cast the spell perfectly.

“Well done, take five points!” Remus said, purposely looking at Ron instead of Peter. A strangled noise from McGonagall, coupled with the dawning horror on Ron’s face prompted Remus to turn to the tank. There, as planned, Peter sat, bathed in an unmistakable red glow.

“Well now, that is unexpected,” Remus said, affecting surprise. “Now, there is no need to panic; I’m sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for this. I’m going to cast an unbreakable charm on this tank, like so, _Infragilis_ ,” Remus cast. “Now, he- or she- cannot escape. Professor McGonagall, if you would-”

“Alb-Headmaster Dumbledore is at the Wizengamot today,” she said, quickly correcting herself in front of the students.

“Hmm…” Remus pretended to consider that. He should probably dismiss his class, but their presence was keeping Minerva off balance, and he didn’t need her figuring things out before the Aurors were in place. “Students!” he suddenly announced. “You are going to learn a very interesting spell today. A variation that can be used for messages. _Expecto Patronum Nuntium_ ,” he cast. As his shimmering dog popped into view, Remus spoke clearly. “Shack, my class seems to have accidentally discovered an animagus at Hogwarts. Can you please come and give me a hand?” With a flick and an “ _Inmitto_ ” it was on its way.

McGonagall had switched to staring at Peter, as though she was trying to figure something out. Deciding to leave her to it, since the revelation that she knew about ‘ratboy,’ Remus turned back to Ron, “Ron, you said that your brother had Scabbers first? How long would you say he was in your family?”

“Er… Percy’s a seventh year, so… eight?” he guessed.

“Right,” Remus sent another message to Shacklebolt. “ _Expecto Patronum Nuntium_ Shack, it appears that this animagus has been in his animal form for at least eight years. It is possible they are up to no good, but they might also be suffering some kind of malady. In addition to aurors, please bring a mediwizard. _Inmitto_ ”

Ron looked queasy as he asked “Scabbers is really a man? I keep him in my pocket! He sleeps in my bloody bed!”

Remus looked around and saw that most of his class also looked queasy or shocked, but no one appeared terrified. Hoping to reassure them, he said, “Well, now, it will be a bit of a wait until the aurors get here, so I suggest that we proceed as before. You’ll remain at your own desks, however. As you heard me say, it is entirely possible that this person, whoever they are, is absolutely no danger to you. They could have transformed while not right in the head, and been unable to transform back, or trapped in this form by a jinx or curse. Either way, I’ve contained them for now, so there really is nothing to fear. Mister MacMillan, let’s start with you. Flick and twirl.”

Shakily, Earnie raised his wand and muttered “ _Azaldu!_.” His eagle owl glowed a muddy brown.

“Well done,” Remus praised. “That brown is your indicator that the animal is not an animagus. That’s what I was expecting us to get with Scabbers here. Now that you’ve all seen it, however, you can clearly see the difference. Hannah?”

One by one, the students he called on each cast the revealing spell. He needed to correct the motions of Seamus, and the pronunciation of Sally-Ann, but other than that, each one managed the spell on the first try. Peter was the only animagus. Once they finished, all were looking much calmer.

“Right, now pair up, and cast the first revealing spell to determine how muggle or magical your pet is. Appendix 7 in the back of your book shows the color spectrum for your partner to analyze. If there is still time before class ends, as a little treat, we’ll learn the spell to reveal familiar bonds.”

Ron had drifted over towards Harry, who was awkwardly trying to reassure him. “Ron, help Harry and Hermione with their analyses, please,” Remus said.

Barely five minutes later, the classroom door opened, and Shacklebolt poked his head in. Remus gestured at him to enter, and he did, followed by his partner, old Tintwistle, a witch Remus didn’t know in healer’s robes, and to Remus’s hidden delight, Amelia Bones!

They immediately converged on the desk, where McGonagall brought them up to speed in hushed tones. “You used _Revelare Animagi_ ” Bones finally asked Remus.

He shook his head. “That’s the one in their books, but I try to give them a taste of the non-latinates when I can. We used _Azaldu_.”

“I know that one,” Shacklebolt confirmed. “It functions the same as the _Revelare_.”

Bones nodded and cast it herself. Peter glowed red. Allowing the color to fade, she then cast _Revelare Animagi_ , with the exact same results.

“Bugger,” Tintwhistle muttered.

“Class dismissed!” Amelia snapped at the students.

Remus quickly stepped forward, even as they began to back their bags. “Students, please spend the rest of this period finishing this project. You’ll turn in your notes on your partner’s pet with your homework. For homework, research the ways to recognize a familiar bond. Then write an essay detailing them and analysing whether you think your pet is your familiar or not. We’ll be testing it with the bond revealing spell next week, so remember to bring your pets again. Mister Weasley, please observe and interview Angelina Johnson in Gryffindor and write the essay about her bond. We’ll ask her to come back next week and you can cast the spell on her cat.”

He was vaguely aware of spells being cast behind him, and thought it sounded like the healer doing her assessment. The students trooped out quickly, and once they were gone, Remus turned back to them just as she finished. “Definitely an animagus,” she confirmed. “Without forcing him out of his form, I can’t be certain, but he seems to be in his right mind. There is some stress-induced moulting, and he appears to have lost some weight recently, but I see no other impairments, except the toe. That injury is several years old, however.”

“Mister Lupin,” McGonagall said, her voice oddly strangled. Remus glanced at her and saw that she’d figured it out. Time to come clean.

“I know, Minerva,” Remus said quickly. “Shack, I know who that animagus is. But it is impossible for him to be here; hence this elaborate set up. I need you to stun him, then force the transformation back. You’ll see why when you do. Oh, and take him out of the tank after he’s stunned. I charmed it unbreakable before you arrived.”

“It is- but that is impossible!” McGonagall cried. Her reaction seemed to give the Aurors pause. 

“Please, trust me, Shack,” Remus said. “I won’t cast a spell; that’s all on you four. You’ll understand once you do.” Shacklebolt had been in Gryffindor the year above the Marauders. He was a beater on the Quidditch team like Sirius, and a Prefect like Remus. Remus was counting on him to accept his word, which is why he’d picked Shack to summon in the first place.

The dark Auror met his gaze for a long moment, then gave a short nod. “I trust him, Madam Bones.”

“If that is who I think it is, you’ll have to see this Amelia,” McGonagall added. Her shock seemed to be giving way to confused anger.

“Fine,” Amelia sighed. “I’ll do it. _Stupefy_!” The beam of light hit Peter and immediately stunned him. Canceling the _Corpollus_ on the lid, she levitated him out of the tank and placed him on the nearest student desk. “.”

The rat blurred, shifted, and slowly transformed into Peter. McGonagall and Shack both gasped. “That’s Peter Pettigrew, as both Shacklebolt and Minerva can confirm,” Remus said quietly. “Sirius never killed him. Sirius didn’t betray the Potters, either. That’s why I did this _today_ , when Dumbledore was at the Ministry. I told him thirteen years ago that Sirius was Harry’s sworn godfather, but he wouldn’t listen. I had no proof, until I discovered Peter was here.” As he spoke, Tintwhistle pulled out his null-magic cuffs and shackled Peter hand and foot.

“You could have submitted your testimony-” Amelia began, but Remus shook his head, cutting her off.

“I offered, but Dumbledore turned me down. I’m a werewolf, so anything I had to say would be invalid. I intended to wait until Sirius had a trial, to talk to his law-wizard. If they knew the truth, they would’ve had a better chance of finding proof.”

“Why didn’t you?” Minerva asked sharply.

“He never had one,” Remus said bitterly. “And after Peter’s supposed death, I let Dumbledore convince me there was proof Sirius was guilty of it all. I let him talk me into dropping it because he assured me that Sirius _had_ been found guilty. That was a lie.”

“How did you know Peter was here?” Shack asked. “And that is him, Ma’am,” he added in an aside to his boss.

Remus slowly, so as not to alarm anyone, picked up his grading ledger and flipped to the front. Inside, he’d tucked the article from the Prophet that Sirius had had the goblins send him. “Look at young Ronald Weasley, on his shoulder. That was Peter. It took me a little bit of study to realize it, but I’d know Peter’s form anywhere. The clincher was the missing toe.”

“Dumbledore suggested that I ride the Express with the students, even though I was already moved in here. He was worried the Dementors might cause problems, and indeed they did. I pretended to be asleep, assuming that no students would enter an adult’s carriage.” He shook his head ruefully. “Harry and his friends came right in. While there, I watched Peter as young Ronald held him. There was no doubt in my mind. I thought again about going to Albus, but I had no assurance he would listen to me any more than he did the last time.”

“I knew the boys were Animagi, Amelia,” Minerva spoke up. “Peter, Sirius Black, and James Potter. I kept an eye on them when they were running around. I was going to wait until their graduation to hint that they register their forms - it isn’t illegal to be unregistered until you turn seventeen. But by then there was a war on, and they were all so eager to join the Order and fight. I thought that it was better if no one knew, to give them an extra advantage against the Death Eaters.”

Remus let out a little laugh. “I found that out when I got here, actually,” he admitted. “I was assigned Figgy as my house-elf, and he admitted to watching us as children on your orders, ‘Professor McGonagall-Kitty.’” She snorted at the elvish nickname, as did Shack and the healer.

Remus turned back to Amelia. “They did indeed keep their forms a secret because of the war, though all intended to register as soon as it ended. Dumbledore and the Order had evidence of corruption in the Ministry. Though we were unaware of anything specific about the Licensing and Registration Office, they thought it better to be cautious. Of course, by the end all three were either dead or in Azkaban, so it seemed pointless for me to mention anything.”

Thankfully, Amelia Bones just nodded, instead of arresting him for abetting an illegal animagus. “What were they?” Shack asked.

“James was a stag,” Remus began. “And Sirius-”

“I assume he was a large black dog?” Amelia said. Remus froze. “Perhaps the large black dog curled up beneath your desk?”

Remus leaned over and glared at his partner. “You were supposed to stay in our room,” he scolded. Padfoot whined, then slunk out from under the desk. “Madam Bones, there’s a kiss on sight order for Sirius right now,” Remus cautioned. “You have proof that he didn’t kill Peter, and he’s willing to testify under Veritaserum regarding that and about the Potters, but if the Dementors come near…”

Amelia frowned, then scowled. “I see your point. Perhaps it would be better for us to bring in Pettigrew first. That should be enough to rescind the K-O-S. I trust that your _pet_ will remain here in the castle until I call for him?”

“Certainly, ma’am,” Remus promised, with a glare at Sirius.

“Did you engineer the escape?” Tintwhistle suddenly asked. Remus had honestly expected that question earlier, and from Amelia.

“I did not, and I’m prepared to take a vow to that effect, since the wolf negates Veritaserum,” he said promptly. “Apparently Minister Fudge, on his yearly inspection Azkaban, threw Sirius this exact issue of the Prophet. He escaped all on his own, and then had the goblins send this copy to me. I still have the Gringotts envelope, down in my office. I was also working in Finland at the time of both this issue’s release, and Sirius’s escape. I didn’t come back to England until Headmaster Dumbledore hired me halfway through the summer. My former employer can attest to that as well, though he is a Muggle, so his testimony would also be invalid.”

“Alright, you’re under house arrest in the castle until I get this sorted,” Amelia declared, but her tone wasn’t harsh. “You are too.” She waggled a finger at Padfoot. “No one has actually confirmed Sirius Black’s Animagus form in my presence, so I have no reason to suspect you of helping sneak him into the castle. You can keep teaching, all that. I’ll be rushing Pettigrew’s trial and rescinding the K-O-S order.”

“When I need you, you’ll both be called as witnesses. I’ll do my best to schedule everything on the weekend to avoid classes, but the Wizengamot may not allow it. Minerva, prepare to be called as a witness yourself. Maywhether, this falls under your DMLE oath, as you know. I’ll be calling you too. Weasley will have to be notified-”

“You’ll need to speak to their older boy, Percy, as well,” Remus said. “Ronald informed me that Percy had Pettigrew - Scabbers, they called him - first. He’s currently the Head Boy.”

“Both Weasley boys,” Amelia agreed. “Molly and Arthur. Minerva, it might be better if you called them to the school this afternoon. Gather them and the boys in your office and then I’ll talk to them. Shacklebolt, Tintwhistle, I want him leaking Veritaserum from every pore until we get to the bottom of this. Get someone you trust to be the dictaquill operator, and then this goes no further than you three until we can get the emergency- what am I saying?” Amelia slapped her forehead.

“They’re meeting today. Minerva, I need your Floo. I’ll have Margaret put an emergency motion on the docket as soon as they go to lunch. Shacklebolt, no Veritaserum; we don’t want him to overdose. Maywhether, you can supervise it in front of the ‘mot as well as giving testimony. Lupin, you’re sure of his guilt?”

“I am.” Remus said firmly. “I’m not sure if he is a Death Eater, but he is certainly a supporter, and he was James and Lily’s Secret Keeper. He also set Sirius up to take the fall. Asking him who cast the Fidelius would give you another witness to that part of it.”

Amelia glanced at McGonagall, then nodded. “Alright, no pre-interview. We’ll at least get the important parts covered. And we can question him again afterwards. Minerva, go floo Molly. I’ll send a Patronus to Arthur. Have an elf bring the boys. Let’s get this ready before lunch.”

“Yes ma’am,” chorused the Aurors.

“Lupin, Minerva, if I need any of you, I’ll send a Patronus and then a pair of aurors for your safety. With the Patronus warning you should have time to change into court appropriate robes. Does Black have a law-wizard?”

“We intended to approach Ted or Andromeda Tonks; she’s his cousin. But we found out their daughter was in Auror training and didn’t want to place anyone into an uncomfortable position.”

“I’ll grab them if I need them,” Amelia decided. “They should be able to handle this, even with the short notice. Right, let’s go!”

“C’mon Padfoot,” Remus grabbed the wolfhound by the collar as the others hustled out of the classroom. “And this time I’m sealing you in the room.”

Padfoot gave him such a _look_ that Remus knew what he would have said if he was able. _Promises, promises._

Uo.oU

In the end, Bonsey was as good as her word, and better than Sirius had dared hope. She forced Peter’s trial into the existing Wizengamot meeting that afternoon; something neither he nor Remus had anticipated in their planning. After that bombshell, she’d insisted that they drag Sirius in for his own trial, and insisted that her Aurors accompany him to avoid activating the Kiss on Sight Order.

Sirius had been pleased to lead the group through the tunnel to Honeydukes, bypassing the Dementors on the grounds and at the gate. McGonagall hadn’t known the tunnel existed, apparently, and had her face in her palm most of the walk, muttering about children getting up to no good.

As soon as they were in the basement of Honeydukes, the aurors activated the emergency portkeys Bonesy had created to bring them straight to the courtroom. Once Amelia had erected protective wards around the accused’s chair, Sirius transformed back and quickly took his place. At least one curse had pinged off of the wards mere seconds later, which led to a pause as Bonsey’s aurors arrested the culprit - Parkinson. It also led Bonsey to declare that Sirius would have his own auror guard for the foreseeable future, and to recall the Dementors from Hogwarts and replace them with Aurors.

Dumbledore tried unsuccessfully to protest, but Bonsey tore him to shreds over the Dementor attack on the Express, which he and Fudge had covered up. She also informed Fudge that, as her Aurors no longer needed to patrol the countryside looking for Sirius, she had more than enough to spare.

After a short, but extremely intense trial, Sirius was exonerated and granted a million Galleons compensation from the Ministry for denying him his trial in the first place. Bonsey also had him reinstated as an auror, with back pay, from the date of his arrest. Then, staring Cornelius Fudge dead in the eye, she declared that he would be paid hazard pay, the same as any auror patrolling Azkaban. Fudge nearly fainted on the spot at the idea of that much money leaving the Ministry (and thus his own pockets).

With Ted and Andromeda as his legal counsel (they had spoken to Bonsey over lunch, after her meeting with the Weasleys, but had only been used as a show of support during the trial), and his shiny new pack of bodyguards, Sirius, Remus, and McGonagall returned to Hogwarts just in time for dinner. Dumbledore had tried to catch them on the way out, but he’d been corralled by Fudge, with Bonsey honing in as well.

As soon as they were back, Sirius transformed back into Padfoot for the time being. McGonagall pulled Harry and his two little friends from the Great Hall and informed them they would be having dinner sent to them in Remus’s office. She’d promised to send them a Patronus when the meal was over, which was when the rest of the school would be told.

Harry was understandably nervous, and it turned out that he _had_ been told that Sirius was the one who betrayed his parents. Discovering that Sirius was innocent had knocked the boy for six, as Lily used to say. Discovering that the betrayer had been the rat they knew as _Scabbers_ had thrown all of the children, though Sirius didn’t understand Ron’s declaration that he’d never complain about Crookshanks ever again.

Understandably, Harry had gotten fairly emotional at learning that Sirius and Remus knew his parents - Shack was one of his assigned aurors and was able to contribute his own stories as well. Sirius got the impression, reinforced by Dumbledore’s orders to Remus, that anyone who had known James and Lily had been told to avoid speaking of them to Harry. He knew nothing, save for what he’d gleaned from a small photo album gifted to him by Hagrid. Hearing that, Sirius vowed to give Hagrid the biggest thank you present he could find.

Remus confessed to contributing a few photos to it, and it was quickly fetched from the dorm. Sirius and the others spent the second half of the meal explaining who the other people in the pictures were, and giving the backstory of the photo if they remembered it. Remus and Sirius himself were prominently featured, and they even found a candid shot from the common room that included Shack in the background.

Shack knew of at least two other Aurors who had gone through the academy with James and Sirius and who were still active in the corps. He promised to put them on Sirius’s protection detail this coming weekend, so they could both reconnect with Sirius and share memories with Harry. One of the other aurors on duty that night had a younger sister who had shared a dorm with Lily, and promised that she would write to Harry as well.

Andromeda and Ted said very little, but towards the end of the meal, Andromeda caught Sirius’s eye and gave him the _look_. Whatever it was, she’d contact him soon, but he was afraid he wouldn’t like what she had to say.

Finally, McGonagall’s cat Patronus streaked into the room, announcing that she was ready for them in the Great Hall. Harry frowned and then asked if he could give the announcement a miss. “I don’t want them looking at me,” he whispered. Hermione immediately volunteered to stay with him. Ron looked torn, but after a minute also agreed to stay. Sirius assumed Remus could explain that later; as their teacher he had a better understanding of the trio.

Harry did give his godfather and ‘uncle’ one last hug before saying goodnight. “Whenever you want to see us, or just talk, or if you get into trouble, call for Figgy,” Sirius told him as he held tight. He had wanted to do this for _so_ long. “He’s the elf assigned to Remus here, and you can trust him.”

“Alright,” Harry agreed, giving Sirius an extra-tight squeeze. As soon as they got back to the suite, they would need to add Harry to the household, Sirius noted. And it wouldn’t hurt to put his friends under their protection as well.

Once he finally let his godson go, and to prevent premature panic in the Great Hall, Sirius transformed back into Padfoot. Harry gave him a very strange look, and Sirius resolved to confirm that he had indeed been at Privet Drive as soon as possible.

Remus quickly conjured a lead and clipped it to the collar, “just in case.” Sirius did his best to give him a dirty look, but he knew from the smirks around him that it didn’t translate well into dog. Well, he would get the last laugh when he transformed back. If seeing him in the collar got Remy hot under his own, then the lead should at least double that effect.

Remus led them down a small corridor to the staff door, to the side of their table, so they didn’t have to parade down the whole Hall between the House tables. McGonagall had clearly been looking for them; as soon as the door opened she rose from her seat. Sirius was pleased to note that Dumbledore was still missing; this would go much more smoothly if he wasn’t around to protest. Though Sirius still had some choice words for him for daring to place Harry with Petunia. From what Harry both had and hadn’t said tonight, Sirius already knew that it had been a worse experience than his own brief observation would indicate.

McGonagall stood to give a brief explanation, but Sirius tuned her out, relishing the chaos he was about to cause.He couldn’t wait to see Snivellus’s face; he might even die of shock, one could hope.

“ _Azaldu_.” His attention was dragged back to the moment when he heard Remus casting the animagus reveal spell on him, covering his eyes in a red glow, and wasn’t that cheeky?

Deciding to jump in before the prank was revealed, Sirius chose that moment to transform “Ta da!” he said, throwing his arms into the air.

Despite the explanations from McGonagall and Remus, there were still a few quiet screams among the gasps at his appearance. Sirius heard one groan from the staff table, and he turned to give Charity a cheeky wink. She’d been in Hufflepuff in their year, and he assumed she was the groaner, being well aware of Sirius’s penchant for pranks. Come to think of it, she was another one who could share stories with Harry.

Beyond her, something else caught his eye, and Sirius frowned. _Snivellus_. Remus had shared his memory of the Boggart class, which had been better than a Cheering Charm for Sirius. But it also raised questions about how a child who had witnessed Death Eaters torturing his parents was more terrified of one of his professors than the Lestranges.

Remus had done some judicious questioning of the other professors, as well as pulling young Longbottom in after class the next day for a chat. The information that Snivellus was just as cruel to Harry, and almost as bad to every Gryffindor, infuriated Sirius. It was also another black mark against Dumbledore, for letting the greasy bat get away with it instead of reining him in.

Oh yes, Sirius was going to have _words_ with Albus bloody Dumbledore once he finally returned to the castle. In the meantime, glaring at his pet Death Eater would have to do.

Once again Moony brought his attention back to the lectern. “Anyone in my class who wishes to practice their revealing spells are more than welcome to use my teaching assistant here, Padfoot, for the task,” he was saying.

“Oi!” Sirius complained.

He was cut off by a loud gasp and a shout from Gryffindor. “Mister Padfoot?” A redhead cried excitedly, jumping to his feet. Beside him a black boy and another who was clearly the redhead’s twin were also looking at him in awe.

He knew Moony still had the pranking journals, so the only reason this trio would know that name was if they’d found the map. “HmmmI take it you’ve found a certain _parchment_ of mine?” he teased. Well, if they knew that much, no reason not to drag Moony down with him. “Or, should I say, _ours_ ,Mister Moony?” he nodded at Remus.

“Professor Lupin?” the other twin was on his feet. They exchanged a glance and then both had scrambled up onto their benches, followed a beat behind by their friend. “Absolutely corking to meet you!” said the first, giving an exaggerated bow before shaking Sirius’s hand

“We’re huge fans,” said his twin, grabbing Moony’s hand to shake.

“Greatest day of my life,” added the third, adding in his own bow.

Sirius basked in the praise while Remus dropped his face into his free palm with a loud sigh. This was more like it!

“Fifty points from Gryffindor!” Snivellus snarled. “Sit down!”

“One hundred points to Gryffindor!” Sirius retorted.

“Fancy yourself an authority figure, do you, Black?,” the bat said haughtily. “Only professors and prefects may assign points.”

Sirius just cocked one eyebrow at him. One of the Ravenclaws near the back of the Hall gasped and pointed at the House counters. In the hush that followed, the faint sound of clinking stones could be heard as one hundred rubies fell down into the Gryffindor hourglass.

“What? You dare-” Sirius turned from the adulation on the twins’ faces in time to see Snivellus spinning to glare at McGonagall. “What did that mongrel do?”

“Mongrel?” Sirius repeated airly. “Might I remind you who is the pureblood, between us?” As Snivellus flushed with anger, Sirius smirked back. “And that’s _Lord Black_ to you, Snivellus.”

“Sirius,” McGonagall said sharply, even as a shout of denial rang out from the Slytherin side of the room.

“Young Mister Malfoy, I presume?” Sirius asked. “He would also do well to hold his tongue around his betters, especially his _Lord_. Five points from Slytherin!”

“Sirius,” McGonagall said sternly again. “Stop that this instant. Now, how did you do that?”

Sirius jerked a thumb at Remus. “He introduced me as his teaching assistant, and I accepted. Hogwarts clearly confirmed it.”

“Oops,” Remus mumbled, wide eyed. Sirius knew it was an act, however. They’d planned this, as one of their many schemes. Remus had read the rulebook back to front and knew exactly what to ‘let slip.’

“Still, you can’t abuse the system-”

“Ah ah!” Sirius waggled his finger at McGonagall. “Per the employee handbook, of which Moony here has a copy, Albus has a non-interference policy when it comes to points assigned and taken by professors. If Snivellus there can take points off _my godson_ for blinking too loudly, you can bloody well be sure I’ll give them back.”

“Wicked” one of the trio whispered behind him.

Meanwhile McGonagall looked torn between fury and pride. “We will discuss this when Alb- the Headmaster returns.” Then she seemed to collapse slightly. “I should have known you would cause trouble the moment I saw you today,” she sighed.

“Remus, can’t you keep that thing on its lead?” Charity teased, smirking cheerfully at them.

“Heel,” Remus muttered, giving a slight tug on the lead he still held.

Sirius just turned and cocked an eyebrow at his lover with a smirk. If Reus insisted…

“Oh Merlin. Forget I said that!” Remus groaned and covered his eyes with his hand again.

Ah yes, this was what Sirius had envisioned for his triumphant return to Hogwarts. Throwing his hands up in the air again, encompassing the staff table in the gesture, he repeated. “Ta Daaa!”


End file.
